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YRCC Launches Building Community Life Competition

Villages across South and West Yorkshire, and the parts of North Yorkshire covered by Selby, Ryedale and Scarborough, are invited to enter Yorkshire Rural Community Council’s (YRCC) 2006 ‘Building Community Life’ competition and celebrate why they are such great places to live.

The competition is being run in every county in England as part of the Calor Village of the Year^® competition or as a stand alone competition thanks to support from Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). It is open to parish councils, village halls and community groups representing their village and there is a £500 first prize for a village in both areas.

Stephen Hall of YRCC says; “Yorkshire has so many fantastic places to live that we want to use this competition to raise the profile of villages with a strong sense of community. Entries are simple and it’s a great way to celebrate your community.”

The Building Community Life entry form consists of questions covering many aspects of a village’s community life. The entry questions are designed to be thought provoking and encourage applicants to think about their village. For many villages not all questions will be relevant and therefore it is not compulsory to answer all or any of these questions. Applicants are also encouraged to include any additional information that they feel more accurately represents their village.

Stephen adds: “The competition will get residents working together and encourage them to look at how everyone within the community is being provided for. It’s an opportunity for them to celebrate all the positive aspects of life in their village and to address any issues or problems that become apparent.”

Previous winners include Thorpe Willoughby and Pool in Wharfedale

Entry forms and further information can be obtained from Stephen Hall (Competition Co-ordinator), Yorkshire Rural Community Council, William House, Shipton Road
Skelton, York, YO30 1XF. Tel: 01904 645271, E-mail: yrcc@williamhouse.co.uk

Closing date for entries is 7 July 2006.

Based at Skelton, near York, YRCC is an independent charitable and voluntary organisation working across rural areas of north, south and west Yorkshire and the City of York. It works to help communities improve the quality of life for all people living and working in rural Yorkshire.

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Issued 20 March 2006
by Paul Johnston, Navigator PR 01947 880513
07974 686 556 paul@navigatorpr.com

Calor Village of the Year^®

Calor, the leading supplier of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) to those living and working in the countryside, has supported rural activities in England, Scotland and Wales for 20 years through its Rural Sponsorship programme, which includes the Calor Village of the Year^® for England and Wales competitions and the Calor Scottish Community of the Year competition.

The Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition, now in its tenth year, was founded and developed by Calor, and is organised and funded by the company on an annual basis.

Please note that Calor Village of the Year^® is a registered trademark and should be referred to in full in all circumstances.

Entry to the Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition is through the existing county competition network.

Following competition support in 2005, Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) is once again providing Calor with additional funding in 2006 to enhance the community life element of the competition through the Building Community Life category. Defra’s special aim is to encourage the inclusion of all groups and individuals into the fabric of rural community life - building cohesive and mutually supportive communities. Defra’s involvement means that every village in England has the opportunity to enter the 2006 Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition.

The national Calor Village of the Year^® judges look for well-balanced, pro-active, caring communities which, irrespective of size, have made the best of local opportunities to maintain and enhance the quality of life for all residents.

The prize money for the national Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition alone stands at over £36,000. First prize is £6,000 with £1,500 going to each of five regional winners. In addition, there are five category prizes of £500 within each region (covering Business, Environment, Care for Older People, Care for Young People and Information Communications Technology), and a prize of £750 for the winner of the Building Community Life category in each of the five regions. The five regional winners of the Information Communication Technology category are judged to find an overall winner, the award for which is £1,000. There is also, thanks to the Defra support, a prize of £2,000 for an overall Building Community Life winner, which is selected from the five regional winners.

For general information on the Calor Village of the Year^® for England and Wales competitions:
email: info@calorvillageoftheyear.org, tel: 01962 629768, or visit: www.calorvillageoftheyear.org

For more information on the Calor Scottish Community of the Year competition:
visit: www.communityoftheyear.co.uk

For more information on Defra:
visit: www.defra.gov.uk or for information specific to rural affairs visit: www.defra.gov.uk/rural/default.htm

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